This is that!… Part 2 of 2

Posted on 11/23/2013 by remso

You should have figured out that the this is the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7 NASB  “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

He did go, and the “helper” did come, to stay. So we should be living in the full benefit of God’s presence in us, if we have accepted Jesus Christ.

Migrating through John’s gospel with men’s bible study and this is what I saw.

John 16:8-11 NASB  “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;  (9)  concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;  (10)  and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;  (11)  and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

I already attempted to cover the aspect of convicting the world of sin. So as I read on I noticed that the Holy Spirit also convicts on righteousness and judgment. Judgment sort of makes sense, especially when you were raised in a judgmental environment, but what does it mean when speaks about conviction concerning righteousness.

(Yes, I understand, you merely need to apply some logical thought and God’s word to the passage to understand, but very few will do that. I speak from experience, for I sat in church for years, expecting some Pastor to give me all the truth I needed. I did not look into the Word for myself and I cannot swear that I got the truth; at least when I compare what they said to what I see in God’s word, I do not think so.)

John 16:10 NASB and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;

The Holy Spirit, as we have seen, convicts of offenses, but here He also speaks about righteousness.

What is righteousness? Thayer’s definition: “in a broad sense: the state of him who is as he ought to be, the condition acceptable to God.

But this begs another question. Who acts as he ought to be? Or what is the condition acceptable to God? Paul answered both in his letter to the Roman church.

Eugene Peterson’s The Message, we have: Romans 12:1 MSG So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life–your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life–and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

To be honest, the entire 14th chapter of Romans defines what is the acceptable condition of the believer. Odd word this believer, for it conveys someone who adheres to the words and pattern of life of another. But one verse stands out as the nutshell that has it all.

Romans 14:19 MSG So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words;

When you look at this verse in the context of the entire chapter, it is a life that is not about getting your own way. Set aside your selfishness; Jesus did.

There is absolutely nothing we can do on our own to make ourselves acceptable condition.

Why? Because since Adam’s fall we are born with knowledge of good and bad. Bad is the only thing Satan invented and boils down to pure selfishness. It is our nature to pursue one or the other, and selfishness and bad are so much easier and they seem to taste better. Besides that, who are you to tell me what to do! Exactly what I am talking about. It is almost as though we are driven to it or it is built-in.

Hang around an AA meeting and listen to what some say. You will hear, “Hi, I am (insert name here) and I am an alcoholic.” How did we get that way? It was easy, attractive, it pulled our minds off of the battle that being unselfish involves, and it is addictive. For many it is hopeless, and they come to realize that they cannot free themselves on their own.

We needed a savior, and perhaps that is an aspect of what we to be reminded of. Speaking for myself, I have to remind myself often, that my character is patterned after Jesus Christ and the Father; that happened immediately and progressively the day I accepted Jesus Christ. The immediate action came as He came into me. As I grow in my understanding of Him and what I wish to be, there is a progressive and continual changing to look more like him. (Still working on that.)

Strong’s definitions tell us that it is an: equity (of character or act). If you are like me then you are scratching your head asking, what that means.

Equity is the impartial distribution of justice, or the doing that to another which the laws of God and man, and of reason, give him a right to claim.

I suppose I could say this another way. Treating others the way God would.

Now some would believe that God’s only job in life is to punish us all with hell, and that would be wrong. How could you believe that if you understood that God so loved a world that did not know him, rejected him in some cases, had no idea of what his character was like, did not love him, did not know that he loved them, and though he had tried to let them know for thousands of years, sent at that time his only Son to submit to a brutal death, for one reason only, to regain his family (us) back.

What does God’s actions have to do with me? Because I accepted what he did as mine and chose to make Jesus Christ my life, then that makes me as though I am the same flesh and blood as Jesus. To some, that makes me kin folk, and to dishonor me is no different from dishonoring the Son that paid that price for me.

Kinship is available, not shoved down your throat, that would be a little selfish, and out of character for God. The price paid obtained for us the freedom to choose which family to live in and be a part of. Yes, there are family members that do not take out their trash and rebel. And yes, they are an embarrassment, but like many children that do that, eventually, if there is time, they actually turn into decent human beings if given a good example.

What of the others? Those of you that want an angry God may find him. But that was not the plan for you. Remember: God so loved the world, and yet, in general, the world does not love him. They are blinded by the enemy, Satan, and many will never come to love the Father, but will rise up, foolishly, against all that he stands for. Scripture calls this the anti-Christ spirit. That which is against God.

Should you be asking how would someone become righteous, escape judgment, or simply join God’s family, I would simply ask Jesus Christ to make himself real to you. Accept Him into your life, and choose to have him live inside you.

This is a time of thanksgiving in America. In a way everyday is. Why? Because without his life in me I would have no life.

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This is that! 1of 2

Posted on 11/21/2013 by remso

The girlfriend asked me, “so what do you want to study?” My answer was, I am usually motivated to dive into whatever has challenged me or I whatever has made me feel the need to understand something more completely. Such was the case with men’s bible study over the last two weeks.

You cannot possibly do the scriptures justice in five words or less. Mind you there are good reasons for giving overviews of an entire book of the bible in one hour, but trust me, all the listener will get, if they do not dig themselves, is an overview that they will most likely forget. The entire gospel of John, is that way to me. I need to absorb it.

John 16 is filled with emotion, both as Jesus wrestles through to his purpose, and the disciples struggle with, what did he just say! We are losing him? But they are not losing him; try telling them that. That is exactly what Jesus was trying to do.

John 16:7-8 BBE  But what I am saying is true: my going is for your good: for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  (8)  And he, when he comes, will make the world conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged:

He told them, I am going away, but it is for your good. Now let me get this straight. We have walked around with you for three years. Judas has taken money out of the bag on a continual basis and it never had an impact on us financially. Our families have never been without or sick the entire time, and you say your leaving will be better. Have you lost your mind?

That might have been the way it played out in their minds. I think it is a mistake to assign them some holy status that they did not have, and therefore would have been far above human reasoning and pain. Please, spare me. They were men, and they did not get it.

“…if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you….” We should all know the way this went. He was beaten by the religious leadership and then handed over to the Romans who gave him a beating that most would not have survived. Jewish leaders demanded his death and got it. The disciples were devastated. Peter quit and went back to fishing. When Jesus found him there, there were several other disciples there with him.

Almost like rallying the troops, Jesus has re-appeared to many (over 400) and told them to wait for the Paraclete to come. I cannot begin to understand what that word meant to them. Translated some have called it a friend, and yet can almost carry a legalistic tone as a mediator. The idea that the Holy Spirit is a helper is easier to swallow, but Jesus, when explaining it moments later said, “I“. The Holy Spirit is no less God than He was, and instead of being outside talking to us, demonstrating how to act and walk, He is now inside. I do not think we grasp that; I know I don’t. Jesus was God in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is God inside of us.

What have we got so far? Jesus died, rose again from the dead, and, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit came, just as he said it would.

Now here is what I want to talk about.

John 16:8 NASB  “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

Hang around any religious circles and you will hear the term conviction come up. It usually applies to you and what you are doing wrong. But pay attention to what Jesus said:

“when He comes…” Who? The Holy Spirit, and He did already. Peter, after hearing the mockery and insults coming from the religious crowd outside, responded under the power this new Spirit inside of him with,  “but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:  (17)  ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS; …….” (Acts 2:16-17 NASB). Peter did not stop there, but you will have your eyes opened if you will read it, in its entirety, from Joel chapter 2. He is talking, under the power of the Holy Spirit, about the end of time, the years which we call the great tribulation. Does anyone see anything positive when they envision the tribulation  years? No! And yet God has told us that during this time HE will pour out his SPIRIT on all mankind. Why do you think that when John sees the martyred before the throne, the second time, that there is an uncountable multitude? Because of His spirit being poured out.

Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Luke 12:37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

2Thessalonians 1:10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed–for our testimony to you was believed.

John 16:9 NASB concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;

So what is sin in this case?

Sin – hamartia – also means offense or failure.

Think in terms of offenses to God. While we pursue money and think this is ok apparently God has a different idea.

Revelation 18:4 NASB I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins (OFFENSES) and receive of her plagues (the beatings that “she” is about to receive because of her blatant actions); [Italics – mine.]

The word plagues, used above, is the Greek word plēgē and means blows, stripes, a wound, public calamity, or heavy affliction.

The answer to the question above actually comes from the previous verse:

Revelation 18:3 NASB “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

Her/she is the lust for money and power.

Revelation 18:2 NASB And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

Nations are wrapped up in her. The Kings of the earth are possessed by her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by her.

There is a commonality here, money and greed.

Look around you, all these players have come together under the cloak of NWO, Illuminati, World Health Organization, Common Wealth of Nations, Agenda 21, and have killed and poisoned the population in order to thin the herds, so to speak. It is a mass, concerted effort.

We are knowingly being poisoned on a daily basis, by aerial spraying, putting aspartame, and fluoride (known poisons in just about everything that is deemed convenience food), just to name a few. We call these conspiracy theories because the concept of a small handful of people attempting to control the world is so outlandish and unbelievable, but getting to you live in a state of unbelief is exactly what they are hoping for; that is until they have such a grip that you cannot do a thing about it.

Perhaps this will help to open your eyes.

“We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years.”
He went on to explain:
“It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries.”
— David Rockefeller, Speaking at the June, 1991 Bilderberger meeting in Baden, Germany (a meeting also attended by then-Governor Bill Clinton and by Dan Quayle

Where is the tie in with scripture? Revelation 18:5 Haven’t you ever read the Revelation and wondered why it comes crashing down on what is left of the horrors of humanity with such a vengeance?

Revelation 18:5-20 NASB (5) for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (6) “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. (7) “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.’ (8) “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. (9) “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, (10) standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ (11) “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more– (12) cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, (13) and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. (14) “The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. (15) “The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, (16) saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; (17) for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every ship master and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, (18) and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ (19) “And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ (20) “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”

It is as though the scripture speaks in code. Most will not understand this, even if explained to them.

Ask yourself, who are the players in this scenario?

What is their attitude?

What is their goal?

And who takes the brunt of their desires?

I would say the world but that is really to broad. It is the poor, the broken, the destitute, and those that may live their lives just getting by. Those that take the attitude, I am rich and have need of nothing, not even a savior, they are ones that he is speaking about.

 

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I have said these things to you so –

Posted on 11/18/2013 by remso

I think I mentioned, in a earlier post, that I was now the co-leader of a bible study. This will be the second week in a row that I have had the floor.

I opened last weeks study by talking about the struggles that I had preparing for that week. Strangely I found myself feeling like I was in a fog. I think part of my problem is how do you keep the word of God fresh, when the men you are leading are not novices, and one in particular is theologically trained and used to lead this study himself.

Mind you I think that openness and honesty can sometimes lead to some great conversations, and in this case, when the fourth man showed up, it did.

I had a plan and barring interruptions it would have gone well. But, there are always interruptions, especially from our in-house theologian. I realize that I can take full advantage of the theologians training if it were not for the fact that he will go on for 20 minutes without breathing (just kidding about that; I think.) I think my interpretation of “well” has to really be tempered by the idea that we are a “life group”, and as such need to afford the men an opportunity to integrate their lives into the scriptures as we progress through them. (By the way, I tend to dissect scriptures)

One of our regulars did not show this past week but showed up within the last couple of minutes as we were about to end with prayer. He came in with two of his boys; one was clearly in some distress, and he asked us to pray over the boy as he could not open one eye. I rallied us to our feet and gathered around him. Prayer time was good and when we were done he thanked us and left. Mind you, he did have to take the boy to the doctor but scripturally we did what the word commands us to do – “lay your hands on the sick and they will recover.” So I deemed the morning a success.

The previous week our other leader had finished up John chapter 15. But, if you look at John 16:1 you can quickly discern that it starts mid-sentence, so I had to back up at least a couple of verses.

A quick recap: John 15:26, 27; the lead into chapter 16, has Jesus attempting to keep them settled in their spirits, as He has told them that he has to go away. This man, Jesus, has been their lives, their mentor, and they have had need for nothing, for three years. How could it get any better?

They don’t understand what his death is about to buy them. They do not understand that there is a hope of a future with him. And it is possible that Jesus knows to well what Peter is about to go through. This is the nature of John 16:1, but he continues:

Now comes the hard part.

John 16:2-3 ASV They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour is coming, that whosoever kills you shall think that he offers service unto God. (3) And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

I asked the guys, why would this be important to them?

I say this because my gentile mind, for years, never registered that these were Jews. What changed my thought on this? Every time we see Jesus in action it is the Sabbath and he is in or near a Synagogue. For three years they rarely missed a Sabbath; the people that he interacted with were Jews, and many that he healed went immediately into the Synagogue.

To be thrown out meant tremendous loss to them. This was family, community, and to some degree protection. Everything they knew and understood of God came from their training they received at the Synagogue, and lately from Jesus.

It was not just the throwing out of the Synagogues that got their attention; “the time is coming when those that kill you will think that they are offering a service unto God.”

What is about to take place? The Jewish religious leadership is about to brutally beat Jesus themselves, and then hand him over to the Romans for an additional beating that rarely a man survives. The Jewish leadership insisted that Jesus be hung on the cross to die, not understanding all along that it was God that put him on that cross, that Jesus himself was going there voluntarily, and that he was to be the sacrificial lamb that would take away the sins of the world. (We all needed this price to be paid.)

I did point out that there is a religion, active today, that feels this same way; Islam. Do not for a minute think that the goal here is to incite hatred; I am though, wholeheartedly, trying to incite reasonable thought, so that if someone is trying to pass a law that states that Sharia law is the new way of dealing with things, you vote it down and vote them out. Do what is right. Be the voice that assists with withholding the anti-Christ spirit in the land. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 NASB (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out-of-the-way.

All this is the lead in to verse four.

John 16:4 LEB But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you about them. “And I have not said these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

The phrase “their hour comes” can be rather troublesome and here is why.

It carries three possible meanings depending upon the translation. Examples include:

  1. John 16:4 BBE I have said these things to you so that when the time comes, what I have said may come to your mind. I did not say them to you at the first, because then I was still with you.

  2. John 16:4 AMP But I have told you these things now, so that when they occur you will remember that I told you of them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

  3. John 16:4 ASV But these things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come, ye may remember them, how that I told you. And these things I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you.

If you are focused on option one then you may be looking for a random inevitable time. To concentrate your attention on option two tends to lean toward some random action specifically against you. Jesus said it would come, so the question is really a matter of when.

I happen to think the focus of the passage is more like option three; where the concentration is more on a specific time frame, and has everything to do with the end times.

Revelation 3:10 LEB Because you have kept the word of my patient endurance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole inhabited world, to put to the test those who live on the earth.

Mat 24:21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will happen.

This testing is God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth (it comes in many forms), and we as believers were not meant to be partakers of it.

Romans 1:18 NASB For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Revelation 6:16 NASB and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;

Daniel 12:1 YLT `And at that time stand up doth Michael, the great head, who is standing up for the sons of thy people, and there hath been a time of distress, such as hath not been since there hath been a nation till that time, and at that time do thy people escape, every one who is found written in the book.

These passages speak to our hope of salvation from the wrath.

Romans 5:9 LEB Therefore, by much more, because we have been declared righteous now by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath.

Revelation 3:10 AMP Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth.

Daniel 12:1 YLT `And at that time stand up doth Michael, the great head, who is standing up for the sons of thy people, and there hath been a time of distress, such as hath not been since there hath been a nation till that time, and at that time do thy people escape, every one who is found written in the book.

Yes, I understand that we get daily reports of atrocities being performed upon believers and those outside of Islam, but this is not the end, or “their time” spoken of in scripture. We may be moments away from “their time” but Jesus, in Matthew 24, spelled out that our comparison is Noah. This comparison has little to do with the violence or attitudes seen in Noah’s story, but has everything to do with the fact that the day that it started to rain is the day that God shut Noah up in the boat, removing him from the wrath being poured out.

The Apostle Peter expounded upon what Jesus said in 2 Peter 2 when he included Lot. If you know the story of Lot, then you know that they were beating on his door trying to get in. The Angels had to blind the men outside, and physically remove Lot and his “family” to safety saying, “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Genesis 19:22 NASB

Why would I say that the comparison has little to with the violence and attitudes seen in both examples? In both cases there is no denying that the elements exist, but there is a clear distinction in the level of violence.

Matthew 24:21-22 YLT for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be. (22) And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

There you have it. The tribulation period will make these current struggles seem like just a bad vacation.

We have a solid assurance that we are to be excluded and saved from the WRATH that is to come.

Everything Jesus said to the disciples, contained, as part of his message, the establishment of hope within them.

John 14:3 NASB “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14:16-18 LEB And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever– (17) the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him. You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. (18) “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

Hosea 6:3 NASB “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.”

And yet there is still a wrath that is coming. The Good News Bible rephrased it like this:

John 16:4 GNB But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for them to do these things, you will remember what I told you. “I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you.

I wish we could understand a couple of things here. Jesus felt the need to emphasize that hard times will come. Yes, they come all throughout a typical life, but the Great Tribulation will go far beyond what we understand now. If He can make the statement that the time period has to be shortened or no one will survive, then there is a deadly seriousness to it.

But you also have to remember that we have a promise of Him coming back for us.

Revelation 3:10 MKJV Because you have kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation which will come upon all the habitable world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.

Obviously the version I have given you says temptation, and for many that means some vice you indulge in, but the word is also interpreted as tests or trials. So we (followers of Christ) will be kept from the hour of testing that is coming upon the earth. That period is the great tribulation.

This  is about the way it works in bible study. I dive in and we camp on one verse for several minutes. This week I printed out my notes so that I would not have to spend as much time on one theme, and should our theological person show I might be able to keep him from side tracking us.

I believe that our Lord’s return is imminent. Yes, that has been the theme of believers since the day he left, but it is our directive and way of living. Having a world view like this keeps me paying attention and focused on Him. His glory and presence are becoming more real and vivid to me each day. I long for him.

If you do not understand then I suggest that you give you life over to Jesus Christ. He is the one  that gave his life for you. Because of him offering himself in a brutal death, we now have the opportunity for his life to be in us. This put us back into relationship with the Father/God, and no, his name is not Allah. His name is Jehovah, but I call him Father.

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I have been struggling with self-esteem

Posted on 10/25/2013 by remso

I have struggled lately. Not with “sin” but with learned behaviors and the longing to be free of them. As some of you know I put myself into a recovery group at church because I need to get a handle on this (poor choice of words seeing as you find out quickly that everything that you have done has not worked and it is only the act of turning your life over to Jesus Christ, continually, that affects any change in your life.)

On the plus side I am now the co-leader of a men’s bible study.

One of the guys from the 12 step group, passes me a note at the end of last nights meeting. It says read Psalm 139 everyday for one week. I opened the computer this morning to that Psalm. If you have never been involved in groups like these there are guidelines, read at the beginning of every meeting, and one of those rules are, there is no cross talk allowed. That means no one gets to interject, interrupt, or try to advise while you are talking. If you are struggling with self-esteem issues and consistently find people cutting you off, telling you what you are thinking, finishing your sentences for you, and their comments are not what you wanted to say, then groups like these are a God send because sometimes you just need to express yourself. (I am seriously thinking of instituting these rules into our bible study group, primarily because of one person.)

One more thing. I am on Facebook more than I need to be, but I have noticed something there. Anonymity. People seem to think they can make some vague entry, berating or abusing people by not stating who you are directing your comments at, and think that no one can figure it out. We all figure it out, and your vagueness only compounds the problem because those not involved can think that you have just taken your selfish shot at them. I say this because of such a comment a short time ago. It easily could have been directed at me because I consistently place comments about end times and the enemy, Satan, that we all have to deal with 24/7. I am not the odd ball when it comes to spiritual attacks, and even learned behaviors are, in my opinion, a spiritual attack.

Why? Because the enemy, Satan, came for one reason, “to kill, steal, and destroy, and we are his targets.

Why? Because we were all made after the pattern of Christ; not just the believer, although this statement is more true of us. God is who Satan tried to overthrow; Jesus is who Satan tried to kill, and anything we do that makes us a threat to his destructive practices makes us a bigger target. (Don’t think that doing nothing will make you less of a target, for your actions prove that he already beat you down.)

Opening my bible program to Psalm 139 immediately reminds of an album I had years ago, by a Messianic band called Lamb. They put much of Psalm 139 to music, and I loved it.

Psalms 139:1 GNB LORD, you have examined me and you know me. When and where did this happen?

Before the foundations of the earth were laid God knew me.

Knowing how I struggle internally and externally the thought occurs to me that we speak about God in terms of those He chooses. We know he does this because we (believers) find this in:

Ephesians 1:4,5 GNB Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.

I have a terrible time finding myself to be acceptable lately. I think it primarily has to do with questions that I am having to answer that ask, do you act the same at work as you do among fellow believers at a worship service?

Work for me was a continual barrage of stress and stress impacts me negatively. At work I would be aware of a couple of small voices inside me. One would say, do this as unto the Lord, in other words my spirit was telling me to focus on work as though I was working for Jesus. There is a secondary guilt trip that falls into that statement, and that is, that if you are working for Jesus then your every move should be winning the lost for him.

May I be honest with you, sometimes I feel like the lost.

What I am getting out of this is that God knew how frail or pathetic I would be and loved me anyway. I suspect that the question of why me and not someone else is irrelevant or an improper question because we are making the assumption that God’s love does not or did not extend to a particular person, and that is not the case. The situation with Judas, one of the disciples, is the biggest monkey wrench that people throw, but I do not want to take the time to pursue that now.

Psalms 139:2 NASB You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

There is no escaping God. Consider this in light of Adam’s transgression.

Genesis 3:8-9 GNB That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. (9) But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

Seriously! The God that knows everything I do has to ask that question?

I think that over time we have established that God, out of respect for the relationship, gives man the space to cover his shame. Some might call this God honoring man’s boundaries. I have looked at this statement a couple more times and thought that maybe we are trying to cover our indiscretions, but that is impossible. You can see this with Cain, the first murderer. Able has been buried, in an attempt to hide the crime, and yet when God shows up he tells Cain that his brothers blood cries out to Him from the ground. Remember that the life is in the blood. My goodness, this puts a whole new spin on the creativity and magnificence of man, God’s creation.

Psalms 139:3 GNB You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions.

Nothing is hidden from God. Many will read this and see it as oppressive, a situation where you get scrutinized and judged constantly, and that is not the case. We have already seen that God showed respect for Adam’s boundaries (if you wish to put it that way – if there were boundaries then God would have created them.) and if God was the all oppressive tyrant then Cain would have been dispatched immediately, and yet Cain is given a protective seal on his head by God.

If he knows all my actions then He knows how my heart longs for him and wants to do the right thing. The religious theme we shove down each others throat is, walk like Jesus, or what would Jesus do.

Consider: Jesus took the time to find cords, fashion them into a whip, and then drove the thieves out of the temple courtyard. Everything about this act is premeditated and powered by an anger that I do not understand. Obviously he was capable of doing serious damage, but a study of the situation will show a man who had anger under control. I also see a man who, like me, has little tolerance for people being taken advantage of.

So here is a little piece of truth for you. October 21, 2013 I got terminated from my job. This happened, in my opinion, because I expressed my opinion about irrational demands, in front of the opening staff, and made the statement, “but I will make it happen, and turned to go do it.”

I was angry and stressed beyond reason because I had attempted to make it happen the week before, and failed miserably. Beside that I was under a mandate from my department head to do this same thing, as time allowed, already. All while doing other tasks, helping customers, assisting other employees when needed, and working by myself.

 No stress here, yeah right.

Psalms 139:4 GNB Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.

David carries this theme throughout the writing. God is already ahead of you.

Does this show an acceptance of bad behavior? I do not think so.

First you must consider that sin has been done away with, that happened at the cross, so he is not looking at things the way we do. He still sees the end result which in part has to do with the person he is forming in you. And the other has to do with the life that we will have with Him in eternity.

Does the fact that sin has been done away with in God’s book eliminate our need to deal with people who act out? No. We have some clear instructions on how to deal with unchecked behavior, and we each have to deal with the outcomes of our choices to act against sound wisdom.

Don’t think for a second that God just hangs us out there on our own while knowing all that we will do. It just seems logical that he could have diverted us from some of the tragic actions we take. This thought reminds me of the years that I spent drinking and how fortunate I am that I did not kill anyone or myself in a tragic car crash. So maybe God has diverted me, and you, from more things than we know. (Consider those times when you were angry because you missed your turn, or there was some road work that prevented you from taking a path you wanted, only to find out that there had been a tragic accident happen there only moments before and you may have been in it.

Cut God some slack. He has plan for you and much of what you are experiencing is part of the plan to develop you into someone who can make a difference in perhaps one specific life.

I am not done with this but do need to move on for now. My acquaintance handed me a note directing me to read this chapter, each day, for a week. The way I look at scripture it will probably take longer. Already I can see things that I need to focus on, things that in a sense will be like getting an overhaul on a car. I need to show that no matter what, He knows where I am going, and that God loves me with an everlasting love.

John 6:37 MKJV All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out.

You are loved, wanted, understood, respected, and always welcome into His loving arms. Never forget that!

If you do not know Jesus Christ by asking him into your life I suggest you do so now. I believe time is short, and the events that are about to happen will be overwhelming and deadly. Those that refuse to take what symbol that indicates allegiance to this coming world leader, and refuse to worship what the Bible calls the beast, will be welcome into the arms of God as saints. This trouble that is coming will be tougher than you ever thought possible, and I wish for you to avoid these pains.

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This mornings bible study

Posted on 09/08/2013 by remso

This mornings men’s bible study, a continuation from last week, covered John 13:18-30. An odd place to end but it is what it is, and I am not the leader. Sometimes it is good that we do not carry on with longer passages.

This was one of the better meetings we had. One brother is fairly new and I was pleased  to hear him asking the same kind of questions I would have asked. (I have to remind myself to let others talk.)

John 13:18 NIV “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

Judas – The debate rages on. Let me explain, and this is my thinking. Judas died prior to the age of grace, that means he was under the law. Now I am not a Jewish scholar so I cannot say whether died as a lost soul or not. But I see where there could be an out for him.

In death Jesus went and preached to the captives (Psalms 68:18 AMP “You have ascended on high. You have led away captive a train of vanquished foes; You have received gifts of men, yes, of the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell there with them.”

We see this again in Ephesians 4:8 AMP “Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men.” )

Is it possible that Judas was there when Jesus showed up. Jesus, the God of love that gave his life as a sacrifice for a world that neither knew him or for the most part wanted him.

What if Judas was merely misguided by the enemy. He was not the first or the last. If none of the other disciples got it, then Judas did not either, so I am going to lean toward a God of mercy because “mercy triumphs over judgment.”

You might notice that I did not attempt to discuss the aspect of suicide. My own father sends anyone who commits such an act to hell. Really? I seriously doubt that very many people who do this are in their right minds to begin with. So let’s just say that they are mentally compromised. Another aspect of suicide has nothing to do with suicide at all. Jesus died once for all so by his own words we know that the world will not be judged for sin but for their lack of acceptance of him as the sacrifice. Again, none of the disciples got that concept until later.

What will it take to show that Jesus took the penalty for sin away?

The other side of this coin, and many have said this, is that there is that possibility that Judas was made for this one thing only. While I do not have the theological background to state this in one or two words but the concept alone fights against what I understand about God. I have had far too much mercy showed to me to think that God is anything but merciful to those who run to him. If Jesus came into the captivity of hell, showed himself to them as he really is, the majesty and glory of the Father, and strips Satan of his power right there in front of them. How many would continue to deny that he is God there before them.

‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ Obviously there is a point of turning against the Lord. I see the topic of Judas as a can of worms that in the face of judgmental people I do not wish to open.

John 13:19 NIV “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.

He was speaking of Judas (the context) but the statement applies to so many things he said. He wanted us to believe that He was God and that he was telling the truth.

If you paid attention to the way God presented himself to man throughout scripture it almost always came with the statement, “as for me.” God was always telling them before hand; why? So they would believe that he is so he said he is, and that he could be trusted.

Genesis 17:4 KJV As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

John 13:1 NIV It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

When you think about how many times the Pharisees had tried to kill him, changing the game plan. Everything had led up to this moment. Jesus was not about to let Satan change the game plan.

John 13:20 NIV Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” This too opens a can of worms.

The Greek word translated accept is: lambanō Thayer Definition: 1) to take 1a) to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it.

Obviously we are not to capture those sent and chain them in our basements. Clearly Jesus is referring to the words and deeds. Now ask yourself, what did the Apostles/disciples of Jesus have for words? They really only had experience from their time spent with Jesus, so they conveyed what they heard and saw, and they saw the most amazing things.

Now consider. Is he telling us that the receipt of the person with the message or the belief in what they convey is the way to Jesus? I think the answer is obvious, the belief in what they convey. So all my concerns about how poorly I deliver the message suddenly seem irrelevant, especially when God has his hands on it. How can it be difficult to convey a message when you are merely re-telling, excitedly, what you have witnessed and heard? The problem comes when it is a second-hand story. That is not a bad thing but when challenged about ‘what did he say next’ and you do not know because you were not there is when things get uncomfortable, as you may suddenly realize that this is not your story. Hmmm! My suggestion to you is to make it your story by accepting Jesus Christ as your salvation. In receiving Jesus Christ, the messenger, one receives God.

John 13:21 NIV After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

They were still clueless. To turn against him does not necessarily mean that you are going to betray him. Imagine their thoughts. He rattled their cages severely; I wonder why? Surely he knew how that would affect them. And in the very next verse John, who had been leaning on him, describes everyone in the room looking around the room in disgust at the others.

John 13:22 NIV His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.

John 13:23 NIV One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

John was being polite. He was writing about himself. When you consider the emotions that John must have gone through during the Jesus years. He was called one of “the Sons of Thunder”, not necessarily a good thing, for he was more than willing to call fire down upon an entire town for their refusal to let Jesus in, and Jesus let him have it for his misdirected zeal. What would you feel if you were leaning against Jesus and he made a statement like that? Would you pull yourself away as you said to yourself, ‘what reason would he have to distrust me?’

John 13:24 NIV Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

However they were sitting, Peter was able to catch John’s eye. We cannot say that John was not also looking around the room in disgust at the others. Did John have some level of trust with Jesus that the others did not have? Don’t know. What we do know is that they had no clue, so if Judas had given them reasons to distrust him they did not see it or care.

One of the things we learn about Judas is that he had stolen from the money bag they carried. Obviously someone saw that; either they did not care or no one said much. As long as you were being taken care of would it matter?

John 13:25 NIV Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

I am amazed at the relationship we see here. A grown man, quite possibly putting his weight into Jesus, and Jesus does not mind. It is hard not think with a human mindset as I read this. The devil has corrupted our minds so that we cannot think about this setting in a proper way. And there is the manly thing where this should never happen. I think that my twisted thinking is an example of the devil polluting relationships with sexuality and corruption. Does that mean. I want to lean into you? Not hardly, but I am a little jealous of John’s relationship with Jesus, because I want that.

John 13:26-27 NIV Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. (27) As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

How could Jesus not have heard everything they said. He heard, and he answered Peter. His movements were deliberate and may have even caught Judas off guard. As soon a he took the bread. Wow. There are dynamics going on here that are widespread and overwhelming. What do I do with this?

John 13:2 NIV The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

I think my perspective has to be that John wrote this. Yes, inspired by the Holy Spirit but almost 60 years later everything is in retrospect. One might assume that our human understanding has to come into play. We also have the historical account of Judas making the deal with the Pharisees to frame the reference.

John 13:28 KJV Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

One of things we see here and beyond Jesus death is that the guys did not get it. It wasn’t until he began reappearing to them that they began to understand. Did he talk in parables at this point? No. He was clear and direct and still they did not understand. Compare this with us, the modern-day believer. Nothing gets past us; yeah right.

Here is the problem we all have. If Jesus, and by extension the Holy Spirit, speaks to us and tells us what to do, do we listen and do what he says? From experience I can tell you that I did not. Your curiosity asks what my outcome was. Well, I got my trophy looking wife. I can tell you that trophies merely hang on the wall and offer little to no relationship with you. You merely look at them from a distance, pointing out some of their unique characteristics, but the relationship is now dead and merely a memory of the hunt. While I got what I wanted I lost the greater prize and that was bible college. I wonder how different my life would be if I had stayed with the original plan. Another aspect of my first marriage was that I either became co-dependent or it really reared its ugly head. My life no longer was dependent upon God but upon her and what ever emotion she was feeling that day.

John 13:29 KJV For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

One of the points we made during bible study this morning was that John pointed out that everyone was staring at the other. When you think about this process of Satan entering someone, what was happening as they stared at each other.

What if this works.

Proverbs 7:10-12 KJV And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart. (11) (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: (12) Now is she without, now in the streets, and lies in wait at every corner.)

If you will allow me to equate this to the deceiver and his tactics, then we see that he is subtle, attractive, a constant threat, and he lies in wait. So it only makes sense that the devil would jump on this opportunity to infiltrate the boys. We do not witness any discussion about the problems the guys had with Judas stealing from the money bag, but if it made it into scripture that he had been then surely they knew it. The only thing that makes sense about their lack of reaction would have been if while with Jesus every need they had got met and we had men with families and single guys. All these needs would have been different. This should not be a new concept to the an established believer because the theme of God meeting your every need (not want) is all over the scriptures. The Jews who would have had to memorize the scriptures would have been aware of the passages in Deuteronomy which promised that God would bless those who invested their time and lives in him.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:

So they sat there stunned and confused. Staring at each other, playing out scenarios in their minds that fueled their arguments. If they knew about Judas and his stealing they surely would have stared at him and John probably would have made note of it. But then there was Matthew, a former tax collector, a man who worked for the Romans when they found him. What was to say that he had not gone behind their backs to make a little more money. All of this was conjecture and untrue. Jesus knew what was to come with Peter and that conversation was only moments away but not part of the equation at the moment.

John 13:30 NIV As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

I cannot even imagine what Judas felt at that moment. Some will tell you that he was a Zealot and wanted war with the Romans. One of things we see as we read the New Testament is that all Israel, with few exceptions, anticipated a warrior messiah, and Judas was merely trying to force Jesus into that role. That might have been the case, but can we be certain. But what if Satan really entered him, and the hideous convulsions that television portrays is what happened. Only speculating here for I think most of us never realize when we have let the enemy in, merely passing off our lousy behavior to far to many beers, not sleeping well, or your lousy day at work. Truth is most of us made a quiet but active choice to give into the enemies game plan.

Now as I read these passages and give them some thought I see Jesus Christ, directed with purpose. Destined to give us life that was about to cost him in terms of indescribable pain and eventually death. That death was in two forms, but keep in mind that our life was his determined purpose. That speaks nothing less than mercy regardless of the side journey called Judas takes us on.

Nothing in scripture is a side journey, nor is it pointless. It is there for a reason, and if it challenges our judgmental attitudes then it served a purpose. I say this because one of the men, who demonstrates a lack of understanding when it comes to mercy decides to throw in some commentary about how am I supposed to deal with a church that permits homosexuality in it.

Stop there. No church that I have seen hangs a sign outside that says ‘this is a church full of homosexuals.’ And, even if there were, would you or I know it? So really his problem is that he sees their acts as an unforgivable sin and that they cannot be allowed or condoned.

I have to admit this ‘brother’ got my hackles up and here is why. I have a family member that decided to live a homosexual lifestyle and I do not wish to see them perish. But the point is Jesus forgave them of their sins, that day on the cross. Jesus stated that he would not judge them for sin, but his word would. They (meaning anyone outside of Christ) will be judged for what they did with Jesus. For example: Did you accept him as the price paid for your sins, accepting the love of the Father, and now you are waiting for a life with him because of the hope you now have? If you did that then the relationship with the Father began and like a flower blossoms progressively.

There are not categories of sin. Sin is sin. You don’t get to sin a little and get by with it, it’s all bad if you are going to live under the law. So to say that homosexuals are at the top of the list and only bound for hell is wrong.

I can tell you that I have allowed my anger to so enrage me that I was willing to kill. Thankfully I did not, but scripturally to think it is to do it. So have I committed murder? Yes, and according to this brothers rules I am destined for hell. Fortunately he is not in charge. My sins, and the sins of the homosexual are covered just the same. Having spent a little time in a 12 step group I have come to understand a couple of things: 1st The church is full of sinners saved by grace. They are living, or should I say hanging on by a thread, one day at a time and 2nd the alcoholics will tell that their days are consumed by the thought of where will I get my next drink.

The brother says, “why don’t they just stop it!” Oohh, wouldn’t that be easy if it worked. Allow me to point something out.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 KJV And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

People are caught, often at will, by the devil. Yes, there are many dynamics to this equation, but telling them to stop will not work for them and demonstrates nothing more than your lack of concern for those caught. Besides that, they cannot see the freedom you might see.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV (3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

So what should be your approach? Try showing some grace and mercy. As I sit in my step group, a Christ oriented one, a man says, “I am not a believer, and I am struggling to believe.” Without grace and mercy the leader could take the narrow-minded approach and tell him to get out, but no; he tells the man, “you are in the right place.”

A blog I read spoke about a lesbian that went to church after church. Why? Because she knew something was amiss but did not know what to call it or how to resolve it. Divulging the “sin” only got her judged and thrown out. Are you serious! Absolutely.

How about using this approach next time. Throw an arm around them and tell them, “you are in the right place.”

A personal experience. At work a brother in Christ got hired on and I was excited because I thought I now have someone else that I can share the mercy of God with. I quickly perceived that my attempts to share with him were met with clear boredom and disinterest so I quit. One day he comes in early and stops to tell me that he has had a failure. I replied, “we have all had failures, so pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and carry on.” He goes to explain that this was a moral failure, apparently making it worse. I asked him if he intended to have a lasting relationship with this lady; to which he replied, “oh no!” Now here is where I have to draw some kind of a line. I cannot just pat you on the back and say that’s okay, because it isn’t! You do not have the right to hop into bed after bed, using people. That is not who we are.

This saga with the guy from work would  take on a whole different atmosphere if I was in an in-depth relationship with him, but I am not, so I find  myself limited to what I can say to the man.

If you do not understand that we have an enemy who is after our souls, then allow me to enlighten you. Satan is in the business of destroying anything that looks like Jesus. Seeing that we were made in God’s image that is strike one in Satan’s book. Accepting Jesus into our lives places us in Christ is strike two and ups the ante. You should understand that he is pulling out all the stops in this case. Read your bible and you will find this to be true.

The battle is a daily one, and all this strife and condemnation we dish out only prohibits us from being able to share the love and life that is Christ with others, playing right into the hands of Satan. Sharing the love of God, his mercy and the hope in him is our mission above all others.

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Several weeks ago

Posted on 09/01/2013 by remso

Several weeks ago, at the end of the concerts in the park season, I came across a table, at the back of the crowd, loaded with Christian books, and they were giving them away. Yes, curiosity got me and I stopped because no one gives stuff that nice without a hook. I wanted to find out who these people were. The man who approached me introduced himself as the Pastor of a home church. (I found out later that this group has met for several years) and he told me his name. That name was familiar to me but I could not place it. The Pastor invited me to their Friday morning bible study at a local restaurant. Several weeks have gone by and I finally made it.

I walked in at 0615 and found a man sitting in a back room, by himself, with a bible in front of him, and so I walked in. He was involved in a phone call, but looked up to acknowledge me, and immediately I am aware that I know this man too well.

Just to give him his privacy I stepped out but I wanted to run. Odd that I felt comfortable enough to share my sudden discomfort with the waitress. Here I am telling a stranger that I have come for a bible study only to find this guy; a man who used to “pastor” a bible study I attended at another restaurant. A man who I have had unpleasant confrontations with. A man who could not go five minutes without telling us about his mentor, this pastor, and that their primary motivation and therefore everyone elses’ should be to evangelize. So as he came to the table I remained silent. I met the men that joined us and after I read the passage in Ephesians 4:1-6, as he requested, I listened as my old acquaintance developed an exclusive theme on evangelism without going any further than the first half of verse one. He had us move through about four other passages in the New Testament through which he expounded on the theme of evangelism.

The man sitting directly across from me eventually interrupts and asks, “so what do I do with the other gifting that Paul spoke of, or are you trying to tell me that they have no importance and therefore Paul should not have written about them?”

It was a good question, especially in a “bible study.” Every man at the table had something to say in response but they never answered his questions.

Let’s explore the passages and context for a moment.

Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (2) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (4) There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Can I restate verse one without losing the potential impact? Of course. Paul, a prisoner, because of the message I preach, urge you to live a life that exemplifies the calling you have received.

The most simple definition of this calling we have received is to be sons and heirs with Christ.

Paul goes to explain: Ephesians 4:4 NIV There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

Called to live out our lives in a manner appropriate to the nobility and hope we have been adopted into. The hope is our anchor and promise that this life is worth it and real. A hope that Christ will do what he said and come again for us just prior to God’s wrath being poured out on Israel and the World.

If I looking for a context that goes further than this then I need to expand the range of my reading by looking at Ephesians 4:8.

Ephesians 4:8 NIV This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”

I have no reason to believe that the terminology is unimportant. Gifts were given, and here is a listing of some of the gifts.

Ephesians 4:11 NIV So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

Is there sequence to it, or even a priority? Perhaps. Nothing is random!

  • Apostles – Church planters. Many would tell us that the disciples fulfilled that mission and I can live with that. To hear someone stand in front of me and declare that they are an apostle makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I will probably not be back.

  • Prophets – We have played to many games with this wording. Most of us have done what the pharisees did, attributing the things of God to the devil. You need to know that Jesus excoriated them for that and told them that they had finally crossed the line and were guilty of blasphemy. For those of you that wonder if you have gone there I must ask, have you attributed God’s works to the devil? Do not go there!

  • Evangelists – We had evangelists come to our church when we were younger. They still do it today. They came with a strong message and brought life back into the church. The messages were powerful but so were the acts of God. One fellow brought the message for 13 weeks. Our church tripled in size for years. It was awesome and we had church 4 and 5 nights a week. While a missionary to Rwanda might fulfill that role he was not necessarily called to be an evangelist. These guys in many cases were preaching to the choir, because the choir had lost its first love.

  • Pastors – These guys do the work of an evangelist and yet have to stay and put bandages on the wounded within the church. In this age of superstar pastors we seem to have lost that and at my church those that treat the wounded are the life coaches or recovery groups.

  • Teachers – These are the guys that try to make you understand the word, and get you pumped up enough to read it for yourself. I imagine you can see where this would be the same role that a pastor might play and rightly so. This happens to be my calling but I can tell you that my other calling is a prophet.

Gifts for what?

Ephesians 4:12-15 NIV 1to equip his people for works of service, 2so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) 3 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and 4become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (14) Then we will 5no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (15) 6Instead, speaking the truth in love, 7we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

 If that’s it, something relatively simple with no great pressure push to make you be something you were not “called to”, then what changed. What changed our calling since Paul was imprisoned?

If I answer this from my reasoning then Paul may be pleading for some to take his place in spreading the good news. But Paul knew enough to keep the pressure of his situation out of the sentence. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, the Holy Spirit is telling US to continue living in a way that demonstrates the calling placed upon us and within us by that same Holy Spirit.

Now you have to ask yourself what that calling is and how to use it.

An obvious factor is that some believe that calling looks a lot like a burdensome work load. I am not so sure that was God’s intent.

Paul also wrote about a “calling” in his letter to the Romans.

I will show you the KJ version:

Romans 8:28-30 KJV And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Many would read this and see themselves excluded, but that is not the case, for in John’s gospel chapter 3 verse 16 you find that God so loved the world, not just a select, well dressed, degree-d people, that are highly motivated and dysfunction free, to recapture the so-called lost world. He (Jesus Christ) poured out his life for the entire world, giving it as an example of how we could and should live.

Beside that, the word calling (klēsis) can also mean an invitation, as in “the marriage supper of the lamb”, to which we have been invited.

If Christ died for the sins of the world then the world’s sins have been covered, right? Jesus, in John’s gospel told those listening,

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. (48) There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” John 12:47-48 NIV

In theory, the world is saved, but from what? Not from themselves, and not from the enemy that wishes to destroy them, but potentially from the wrath due the world for sins. So in our zeal we send out evangelists to do what, change the heart from evil to good, or point out the good that Christ has done for us and give them a faith in Jesus Christ that recreates that original good heart God made man with, and establish in them the hope that Jesus Christ will come back soon for us, rescuing us from the wrath to come. The wrath meant for Israel because they rejected him, and the wrath meant for the nations (those considered outside of the family of God.)

Another version of Ephesians 4:1 states:

Ephesians 4:1 BBE I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behaviour is a credit to the position which God’s purpose has given you,

In this version it is clearly less of a demand for work as it is a lifestyle and purposeful life. Life is little more than living. If you are believer, then scripture does give you guidelines, but it also gives you grace. It is the grace that gives driven people fits for it allows you freedom to live with the understanding that God will never let you out his hands and you will never be judged for sins by him. (Try equating this grace to turning a child loose in a mud filled yard. There is no reason in the world not to expect that child to not come back from this day in the yard muddy) Most religious folk cannot handle that freedom and freak out. Many will create their own set of rules in an effort to maintain control. We see this in the Jews as Jesus blasted them for their rules made in excess of God’s laws.

Here is my point: God gave us the grace to follow him; his word says I will, and though I have gotten myself muddied up at times, as did you, I have always known the way back home and come back to him. Home is where I can get cleaned up. The religious will say, you do not have the right (according to them) to merely muddy yourself up as you please.

Do you really think God is falling off his throne or that his love and grace is insufficient?

As I have gotten older getting muddy is no longer something that I want to do. I can tell you that slipping and falling in the mud is generally associated with some form of pain and the landing can leave you with a nasty bruise, the kind that reminds you of your fall for some time.

A better idea is to anchor your thinking in the Love of God and his grace and live a life in that freedom. Always know that his everlasting love, the same love that motivated him to put his son on a brutal cross for you, is more than enough to hold on to you. I do not know what it takes for us to get that concept into our thick skulls. God made his pitch and if you accepted Jesus Christ as the payment for your sin (all of it – forever) then you have been made family and a joint heir with Christ. Heaven is your promise, a life with the Father, and peace in a peaceful kingdom.

Now as for your calling. As you have developed as a family member the Holy Spirit has already spoken to your heart and motivated you in particular directions. Move in them. Find opportunities. Consider Stephen; as he served tables and did his job he listened to the Holy Spirit and moved in that inspiration. What came out of him was notable and powerful, merely by living and doing. Every family has a distribution of chores, setting the table or taking out the trash may be part of that. While you are doing your chores as under to the Lord let him speak through you and use you. It’s really that simple. Be open and obedient and he will give you more.

God bless and have a great day.

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See to it that you be not troubled. (That was not my intent)

Posted on 08/11/2013 by remso

I posted this on FaceBook. I felt led to post it here too.

I share many disturbing things with you for the purpose of making you aware.

If you are awake then  perhaps you can withstand what the enemy is doing and if nothing else fight back in prayer.

Last evening I had these words rush through my head, “See to it that you be not troubled!”

Yes, no doubt it can be overwhelming if you focus on what is going on around you. (This becomes a real issue when you are a believer living in a nation where violence against followers of any opposing belief is met with extreme violence and death.)

Focus on who your salvation is and the difference He can make through you if you let him.

This is the time of release. God will release His power through those who will put their trust in Him and allow Him to move them.
(John 10:3-4b ESV)
The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them,
and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

I am telling you what I hear in my spirit. Do with it what you wish, but do not ignore the voice of the shepherd, He is working for your good.

the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
(Matthew 24:3-13 ESV)

If you read the passage above then ask yourself who is he talking to? Jews, yes, but also us.

So the passage has some dire warnings in it.

Is it getting this bad? Yes.

Can it get worse? Yes, and it will.
Walking around with your eyes closed does not make it go away.

Already you are surrounded by hurting people. Personal friends of mine have taken such hard hits in an extremely short period of time. A two year old child, an in-law, was diagnosed with cancer affecting the spinal chord in June, suffered through three surgeries, chemo, and radiation treatments. Yesterday, August 10th, he died. That is sudden in my book and devastating.

What are we supposed to do?
Wake up. Realize that this is the enemy fighting against anything that looks like God, and guess what, YOU were made in the image of God. Now mind you, you do not look all that similar when  you are lying face down in your own vomit because you did what you wanted to do, but NONE-THE-LESS you are still His image. This is particularly true of  the follower of Christ.

Eyes open moment here. God did not promise you a life of picking daisies and staring at rainbows. He did promise the believer that He would come back for you, and that he would empower you with tremendous strength to endure victoriously over any situation. I do not care if it does not feel like it to you. You need to ask yourself what does it feel like to the FATHER.

In John chapter 11 Jesus ordered the stone moved away from the cave where a man’s body was now in decomposition; he stank!
Somebody responded, and though it is possible that the stink clung to the grave wrappings on the man, the man was restored.
Do you not get it yet? Do something! Roll away the stone. Be strong. Listen to the voice of the Lord that is leading you out.

Act like Joel chapter is actually happening right now, and you are a part of it. (By the way, IT IS in some people. Why? Because they choose to believe.)
Peter blared this message to the Jewish crowd standing before him, mocking him and the others, on the day of Pentecost. Peter, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit stated, “this day is  this come to pass in your hearing!” How long ago  was that? 2000+ years. WE ARE IN IT, and, if you will read your bible, you will find that Joel was specifically talking about THE LAST DAYS.

Folks, it is upon us.
Turn to the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways follow him, and he will direct your path.

Father, in the name of your mighty and glorious Son, Jesus Christ, the risen one, I ask that you release hope and strength into your people. Fill their minds with dreams and visions of you as you approach. Give them words to say as they listen to your voice, even if they do not understand where those words are coming from.
Empower your people to stand in  the face of the enemy and say NOT ANOTHER STEP FORWARD. The enemy must and will respond to the name the Jesus Christ for there is power in that name and that name alone.
Move in and through your people and cause them to bring hope to those around them for the days are getting darker by the minute.
Cause them to know  that WE are that which is holding back the enemy because we are awakening. Cause them to know that their voice can convey the voice of the Spirit of God and bring  life to people.

Father, I ask you to open ears and prepare hearts to receive the King as we speak and stumble through those words. In that people will know that it was God speaking through us.
Be magnified through our lives as we step up and declare the love and power of the Holy God.
Amen

Walk in Love at all times for the enemy is trying to cause hatred and fear to erupt in people. If you are paying attention at all you can see it. This is the enemy and the battle is on big time.
Pray without ceasing for we are in it.

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Now for the obvious. John 10:2

Posted on 08/09/2013 by remso

In my last post I talked about the thief of John 10:1. Now I focus on the shepherd.

Something I heard on the Christian radio station caught my attention. The speaker said that a good writer catches your attention when he speaks on an emotional level. I try to do that, primarily because I am pulled into a story line, or scripture, because it speaks to me in that way. This emotional level to me has much to do with my being open and honest with you, telling you that some things hurt or confuse me. Maybe by doing this we can both get through what ever it is.

Every time I read scripture I create an emotional connection by trying to look into their imaginary faces and listen for the tone of the words being spoken (I call it putting flesh and blood on them). This emotional aspect becomes important because we can receive the same sarcastic joke differently depending upon the tone and the relationship we have with the person saying it (I speak from experience).

Consider Jesus Christ, the shepherd, as he interacted with Nathanael .

Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.” But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.” When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.” Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.” (John 1:45-51 MSG)

This was dripping with sarcasm and humor, and yet this is our shepherd.

Now the alternate side of this shepherd could be like one a previous pastor tried to convey. He told us, with conviction, that the shepherd, which he was supposed to be one, would break the leg of a sheep that would continually stray off. Having done that he would then carry that sheep until it was healed and that sheep would then bond to that shepherd and no longer stray. That did not register as correct then, nor does it now, and if you had tried to win me to Christ with a message like this I would have had nothing to do with it.

Just trying to think through this leg breaking from an economic point of view makes no sense either. To damage a sheep blemishes it and no decent Jew would buy a blemished lamb for it could not be used in sacrifice. Sheep only served three purposes. They were either raised for wool, food or sacrifice.

I suspect you need to look at some of these concepts, especially if you feel that God is calling you to be a shepherd.

What kind of shepherd would you be?

I was a rambling sheep. It is possible that in some ways the shepherd broke me? I thought that was entirely my doing. As I talked with the men in one of my groups recently, one responded sternly, “the devil is not in everything, some things are just personal choice!” I believe he is wrong for there is only good and evil in the world. It is a choice, but the way to judge whether you chose to follow the devil in this “choice” you made is to look at the fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

What was product of your “choice”? Something other than this? Then no matter how that motivation got in your head it was of the devil and meant to destroy you. If I happened to proverbially get my legs broken while caught up in that non-sense, and the good shepherd should happen to pick me up, is it proper to then say that the shepherd is the one that did it? NO.

That being said, lets continue to look at John’s gospel and the shepherd

John 10:2-6 GW

(2) But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd.

(3) The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen.

(4) After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.

(5) They won’t follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don’t recognize his voice.”

(6) Jesus used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn’t understand what he meant.

The concept of a shepherd was not new to the learned Jewish crowd.

The Psalmist spoke of the shepherd of Israel.

For the Director of Music: According to “The Lilies”. A testimony of Asaph. A psalm. Shepherd of Israel, listen! The one who leads Joseph like a flock, the one enthroned on the cherubim, display your glory. (Psalms 80:1 ISV)

The prophet Isaiah stated,

Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” (Isaiah 40:11 ISV)

Ezekiel referred to David as a shepherd of God’s people.

“‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:23 ISV)

The prophet Zechariah said,

Those who buy them will kill them and go unpunished. Those who sell them will say, “Praise the LORD! I’ve become rich!” Even their own shepherds will have no pity on them. (Zechariah 11:5 GW)

They knew what he was talking about, they merely refused to listen.

Now for the obvious.

John 10:2 NIV The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

What is the problem with that? Nothing really. It seems like a very ordinary statement, except that Jesus is the gate and the shepherd at the same time, and that in itself seems impossible. Fortunately we serve a God that consistently deals in the impossible. Jesus cleared this up for those who were struggling with his statement.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7 ESV)

Oprah Winfrey seems to have re-birthed herself and once again espoused an aspect of her religion based upon Eckhart Tolle’s teachings that we are all on the same path. Jesus should have left no doubt in the mind of the hearers that day as he said, “I am the door”. If we are all on the same path are there a multitude of doors? I don’t think so. I do think that God is willing and capable of finding you no matter what path you are on and inviting you to enter through the door into life.

But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Simple, straight forward, understandable, but don’t we have to enter through that same door? If that is the case what is God trying to say to us?

To me it sounds as though the calling on our lives is important and automatic. If you are a husband, then shepherd your wife; if a father, then shepherd your children; if a friend then shepherd that one person. But do not think for a moment that you get to break legs to control them. That is not a what a good shepherd does, is economically unsound, and illegal. You open the gate for them to see the true shepherd – clue: he is found in His Word. And then you be an example of what this shepherd is supposed to look like. (Don’t get confused here, just live a decent, peaceful life, filled with the fruit produced in one that is focused on God. You know: love, joy, peace, long-suffering … )

By the way, this is not the last time you will find a reference to the door or gate.

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
(Revelation 4:1-3 NIV)

Someone opened the door. Because of John’s gospel we already understand that Jesus himself is the one opening the door. Looking through the door into  heaven what does John see? The Son of God in all his glory.

In Revelation 3 we get a clear picture of Jesus being the one that opens the doors that no man can shut.

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: (Revelation 3:7 NASB)

Keep these words in mind for the next time someone tries to tell you you are through. God is not done until he finishes what he started, and that includes you.

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What an odd statement.

Posted on 07/28/2013 by remso

(7/21/13) Our usual men’s Sunday morning bible study.

The leader opened in prayer, asked if someone wanted to read the passages, which they did. He then turned to the group and said anyone have anything to say about what was read, giving me the impression that he had nothing.

I always have something to say. I operate on the principle of always be prepared to give witness to the faith that is in you. So, I waited several long, silent moments to see if anyone else would jump in, and then I started with verse one of John chapter 10.

The gospel of John is awesome, powerful, and consistently demonstrates that Jesus was God. Mere moments into the points I  started to make I was cut off.

One of the men in our group has seminary training and feels that his dominance and voice is mandatory for most discussions. This morning with only an hour of time for our  group meeting, he consumed 40 minutes of it, taking us on several circuitous routes, 180 degrees from where we needed to be.

To have someone skilled in theological terminology show me and the others in the group no grace by beating us up prevents everyone in the group from seeing and hearing anything but what he has to say.

In other words, I had no voice this morning, therefore I write.

 With that off my chest, let’s begin.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1 ESV)

What an odd statement!

“anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate,”

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1 NIV)

I have childhood memories of an area we used to pass through while traveling to visit relatives. Sheep farmers could always be found there. These shepherds apparently lived in small travel trailers and would integrate their trailers into the pen by making them part of the opening. Supposing you did not have a travel trailer and could only rely on large branches to build your pen, then the idea of the sheepherder lying in the entry, becoming the door, makes all the sense in the world.

I can just picture these guys sleeping lightly. You would not be able to step over them without waking them. That would force anyone attempting to gain access to sneak in some other way.

If you take in all the words and the context of the verses you begin to see that Jesus is not merely talking about sheep.

He had been going verbal rounds with the Pharisees and much of John 10 is directed at them. In his previous challenges from, and to the Pharisees he told them that he had been with the Father and that God was his Father. For him to say that, and for it to be true, would mean that Jesus was God, something they refused to entertain. These assertions were worthy of death as far as the Pharisees were concerned.

Although I do not wish to go into it right now, Jesus made the statement in verse 8 of John 10, as though they were not standing in front of him, in which he said that, “everyone before him had been thieves and robbers.”

Everyone? Really? What about the prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, and others. Obviously it is not everyone but more like a particular group, religious folk.

The statement alone tells me that there are others that are trying to gain access to the sheep, and attempting to pass themselves off as the shepherd. If that is not the case then it is coming and Jesus painted a clear picture of what it will look like.

Many of us can name some of those that have led sheep a stray.

James Warren “Jim” Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was the founder and the leader of the Peoples Temple, best known for the cult murder/suicide in 1978, 909 of its members in Jonestown, Guyana, and the murder of five individuals at a nearby airstrip. Over 200 children were murdered at Jonestown, almost all of them by cyanide poisoning. Jones died from a gunshot wound to the head.

David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was the American leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh on May 15, 1990 (Koresh being the Persian name of Cyrus the Great (Kurosh). A 1993 raid by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the subsequent siege by the FBI ended with the burning of the Branch Davidian ranch outside of Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. Koresh, 54 other adults, and 28 children were found dead after the fire.

Harold Egbert Camping (born July 19, 1921) is an American Christian radio broadcaster, author and evangelist. Since 1958, he has served as president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that broadcasts to more than 150 markets in the United States. In October 2011, he retired from active broadcasting following a stroke, but still maintains a role at Family Radio. Camping is notable for issuing multiple failed predictions of dates for the End Times, which temporarily gained him a global following and millions of dollars of donations. Camping predicted that Jesus Christ would return to Earth on May 21, 2011, whereupon the righteous would fly up to heaven, and that there would follow five months of fire, brimstone and plagues on Earth, with millions of people dying each day, culminating on October 21, 2011, with the final destruction of the world. He had previously predicted that Judgment Day would occur on or about September 6, 1994.

(All the above references were found in Wikipedia.)

I did a quick look up and count of people who had claimed to be Jesus over the years and there were well over 30. Many of these had a tremendous following.

Not everyone will get sucked in.

How do I know that? Because there is a timing to this, and it has everything to do with the last days. Besides that He was talking to the Pharisees. Jesus, in attempting to explain what was to come, stated in Matthew 24, 25 that even the elect would be deceived. The elect is Israel’s learned religious scholars, a sub class of God’s chosen people, Israel. Then the elect of Israel would have to be the taught ones, the Pharisees. They are all still looking for the Messiah.

Who else is looking for a Jesus to come? Islam. They anticipate, and have vocalized through speeches given at the United Nations that they are anxiously awaiting the coming of Isa ben Mariam. He will come; we followers of Jesus Christ know him as the false prophet. You will find references to him in Revelation 16:13; Revelation 19:20, and Revelation 20:20.

What does this  false prophet do that deceives? He acts like he is  Jesus (to some degree) and does the things that people expect a great prophet to do, like Elijah did (calling fire down from the sky or bringing rain where there has been none.) But Islamic prophecies show him deferring to the god of Islam (Allah) and the Mahdi. He also produces items that convince the religious leadership that they have followed after the wrong god.

(It might be essential for you to have an understanding of Islam at this point.  I wrote this and published it in July of  2013, and since then Islam has pushed forward even harder and at alarming rates. My suggestion is that you get your hands on a book called the Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson. As followers of Christ you will find scriptural references backing Mr. Richardson’s statements.)

Even Islam will tell you that this Jesus that is coming will be a Jew, of Aaron’s lineage, entitling him to be a priest in the temple – they do not just hand you that job. And that he will be a Muslim. Islam hates the Jew so how does that equate? I  don’t know but it makes for a very deceptive mixture.

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24 NIV)

 What is the gate?

An obvious answer is Jesus Christ. Did he not say that he was the way? Now he is saying that he is the door. Again, the only way.

John 10:9 NIV I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Jesus re-emphasized this again in John 14:6 NIV Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

But this creates another problem for the follower of Christ. Try to follow my thinking here: Ask yourself, what happens at the great white throne judgment? Answer: God raises the remaining dead for judgment.

Why is this a problem? You have to create a chronology in order to understand the answer. As the followers of Jesus Christ we are considered the bride, and He promised to return, in the sky, to collect his own. So we, the church, get caught up to meet him and spend the next seven years with him, only to return with him on “the day of the Lord”, as his invincible army. Never to be separated from Him. So that excludes the believers from the throne judgment.

What is next after the church gets snatched away?

Tribulation to the extreme. This produces and uncountable number of dead in the Lord, called saints. But we can exclude them for they are caught up to heaven and stand before the throne shouting Holy is the Lord and they stand on a magnificent sea of glass.

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes–who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'” (Revelation 7:13-17 NIV)

So who is left? 

All those that we comprehend to have died without the Lord. Ponder that for a moment. What happens next? God separates the dead into two groups, the goats, and the sheep. God does this. He separates them, and he classifies them as sheep.

Now consider. Jesus did not make a sheep pen to hold those that did not belong to him. This entire chapter is talking about sheep, the thing that defines us the best. Remember what Paul said, “all we, like sheep.”

So, though you do not understand it, and neither do I, God has seen these people in a different light, calls them sheep, deems them acceptable because they performed acts outside of pure selfishness, and tells them to enter into the kingdom.

You know what this tells me. We have been preaching the wrong thing to people. Instead of condemnation and guilt, we should have been preaching life to them. As I listened to one of Christian psychology radio programs they referred to something an old cattle rancher said about containing cows. You can build barbed wire fences in order to keep the cattle on the property, and they will push into it, feel the pain and retract back into the property. Or, you can build a well. The well works because cattle are drawn to water, and they will stay where the water is at. Without the barbed wire Jesus became the river of living water. And though many of these people did not meet our requirements for salvation they adequately met God’s standard.

only thieves and robbers climb over the fence

Jesus said: I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. (John 10:1 CEV)

The word in Greek used to convey a thief means exactly that. Someone who is there to steal.  Jesus told us that no one could steal those that were his out of his hands. So who is he talking about? Since his comments were directed at the Pharisees we have to go back to the idea that he talking about Israel and the religious leadership.

This robber is after the chosen.

  • The first possible explanation of who the thief is would be the pharisees.

    Do we still call them Pharisees today? No, so in general we are talking about the religious Jews that have rejected Jesus Christ, in spite of the living truth.

    This has recently become more real to me, as we now have a Jewish, female friend. She is filled with head knowledge but because the Jewish leadership says, we are still waiting for the Messiah, to this point she, like them, is refusing to accept Jesus Christ.

  • The alternate point of view would be to project this toward the last days, also a viable option.

    While the chosen people are still the primary victims of the deception of the false prophet they are not the only ones subject to deception. Again, putting flesh and blood on this I can relate this to an acquaintance of mine who is theologically trained. I asked him in openly, what it would take for him to be deceived. He evaded the question but the possibility is there.

How could this be? Really? How is anyone brainwashed? Their defenses are attacked and broken down. Our environment is doing this us even as we speak. Why do you get the most unreasonable and ill thought responses from people you used to deem responsible (governments).

How am I supposed to respond to this?

If you are a believer:

Stay in the Word. Make it a regular part of your life. Jesus Christ is the truth, nothing else. Nothing else matters.  We are not to merely walk off our jobs and live in bomb shelters, but we are instructed to be wise. That means, in my mind, to pay attention to what is going on around you. Jesus told us to watch for clues. One of the massive clues was Israel becoming a nation. For over 2000 years people have been awaiting His return and making predictions. Some will continue to nail God down to the minute or day. All I know is that we are in the final innings of the ball game.

Scripture is clear:

Matthew 24:32-34 KJV Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh: (33) So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. (34) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Preach the good news of Jesus Christ whenever possible. Be the well of water that people are drawn to. As followers of Jesus Christ we have a hope and the promise of his coming to remove us from the destruction that is coming upon the earth (John 14:18.) But you must understand that like Noah you are going to feel the rain coming as God removes his church.

Genesis 7:12-13 ESV And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,

And we have a hope of a life with the Father/God.  Live like there is no tomorrow, preach the gospel as if this were your last day. A time of darkness is coming when sharing Jesus Christ will be illegal everywhere. Until that day comes spread the hope that is in Jesus Christ like a wildfire.

If you are not a believer:

Consider this somewhat of a warning. The removal of the followers of Christ from the earth will mark the beginning of the seven years of tribulation that we find in Revelation (many call it the Apocalypse.) This period can be divided into two three and one half year periods. None of it will be pretty and people will be dying in huge numbers on  a daily basis. You want to see what a prophet would do in  the midst of this? Watch for two prophets of God to show up in middle of Jerusalem (not Palestine) almost immediately after all the people disappear. Should you decide to follow Christ at this point I would strongly suggest that you pattern  your life after them. Ask the Holy Spirit of God to come into you with power and then stand as an unmovable bastion in the midst of chaos (Better yet, act like this now. You will  never feel more alive in all your life!) Three and one half years into this chaos those two prophets will be killed and resurrected, just as Jesus Christ was, quite possibly by the false prophet. There is a person coming that will attempt to pass himself off as Jesus. I suspect, if your television still works, that everyone will be made aware. He will perform miracles, call fire from heaven, and bring rain where there might have been none.

This Jesus of Islam will be the enforcer of Sharia. He will enforce the mark that must be visible indicating your allegiance or subservience. To take this mark and worship this  personage called the beast in scripture will cut you off from the mercies of God; it is the only thing that will completely cut you off from the mercies of God. Resist this. (A clue here. Religion has been worried over this for years. Although for years it was easy to say I am not clear on what it is or how it will be presented to us, but the prophet Daniel said, “in the last days knowledge would increase”. As I have come to understand what Islam believes and their threat and influence I can see how this beast may well be Islam or Allah. Just know this, without it you will not be able to buy or sell anything and that is the major clue.)

Jesus will return; it will be dramatic; nothing secretive about it, for scripture tells us that every eye shall see him. He will return as a warrior to fight against anyone that chooses to stand against him. And this time the Messiah will plant his feet upon the Mount of Olives.

Turn to him now, even if the church has gone. Call upon him. Receive His Holy Spirit and call upon that holy spirit to fill you and guide you.

Should you find yourself here after the snatching away of the Christians, find a bible and turn to Joel chapter two and read it. It is talking about you. Should you come to the Lord now the promises of Joel chapter 2 are yours this very moment.

There will be two witnesses, sent from God. (You will know it when they come) They will stand in the streets of Jerusalem and preach for three years. Use these men as an example of how you are to perform.

Revelation 11:2-12 ESV but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they (the they of this passage is most likely the Palestinian Muslims) will trample the holy city for forty-two months. (3) And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. (6) They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. (7) And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, (8) and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. (9) For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, (10) and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. (11) But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. (12) Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

If you have been paying attention to the news then you are aware that at the date of this posting our American President has been pushing Israel hard to give up the temple mount and most of Jerusalem. That cannot happen. God will not tolerate it. But know this, something will happen soon that will change the dynamics in Jerusalem and the Temple will be built, on that mount. Do you really think that Hamas will give that up readily? Not a chance.

I am not the great evangelist, but should you decide that you need come to this Jesus Christ, no matter what the reason, then perhaps praying something like this prayer I included can turn your life around.

Father, I turn my life over to you fully and completely. I cannot do this on my own anymore and I ask your Son Jesus Christ, the one who died so that I could obtain forgiveness of sins and was raised from the dead so that I could have a life and a hope in you. Father receive me into your kingdom. I thank you for making me your child this day and giving me your life. I know that you will never leave or forsake me from this day forward, and that you will come again to take me to my home with you.

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Posted in Apostasy, Cult teachings, End times, Hope, Our being caught up, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

All your life…

Posted on 07/22/2013 by remso

 

I want to share some things with you that might explain where I have been for the last couple of weeks.

 

First I placed myself into the recovery program at my church.

 

I am fairly sure I mentioned this before but it plays a significant role in how my time is spent, and how my life is changing for the better. It is called Celebrate Recovery. While many of the people there have issues with alcohol and drugs that is not my problem. My problem is: we have an enemy that takes pleasure in stealing, killing and destroying anything that looks like God, and since we accepted Christ into our lives and have been formed into his image we are even larger targets. I have battled with abuses, frustrations, depression, fear, self-esteem issues, and the desire to hide from it all, all my life. I imagine many of you have had comparable or worse issues and possibly handled them better than me. I reacted in rage. I believe the rage came as a result of what felt like helplessness and inadequacies.

 

It has been just a little over a month now, working through a 12 step program, and I am finding that there is a joy in me that has not left me, even through the stress, for days now.

 

I am choosing to walk each day in joy. I am not going to lie to you, I have had my rough moments, but at the end of the day the joy is still there. I am sure that a deep understanding that Jesus Christ is the higher power and making the decision to relinquish control of trying to fix my life (trying to fix myself has not succeeded for 48 of my 60 years on this earth) and turn my life over to Jesus Christ played huge and significant roles. What a relief!

 

CR has forced me to adapt my schedule and that creates some new challenges for me when it comes to writing for posts.

 

One of the aspects of CR, that I happen to find the most freeing, is that when we break into small groups there are guidelines that are enforced. These guidelines are meant to create a safe environment and allow everyone a chance to speak.

 

Imagine if all your life you have felt as though you did not have the freedom to express the anguish of your heart, or by the same token not able to convey the joy you have experienced. No one is allowed to interrupt unless you are stating that you have a clear intent of hurting yourself or others. Just being able to speak without interruption has made all the difference to me. When your self-esteem has been thoroughly trashed just the act of being given a voice is extremely healing.

 

God cares about every aspect of you. He cares that you have not been able to express yourself. Your voice was given by God as a gift, and He desires that you share the freedom inside in with others.

 

I pray you find that voice inside of you and the freedom to use it.

 

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